attendance
its really important to advise the students about ontime attendance ,because interrupt the class will delay the lecture and wasting other students time and disturb their concentration .
Hi Andrew,
We have to teach to the standards of industry. This includes the soft skills of being on time and working with others. Your policy helps to develop this habit within the students.
Gary
I like teach the students like they were in the industry. If students are late or absent, I reinforce workplace values and have them call or email me. In our city, traffic can cause a lot of tardyness. This policy gives them a few extra points for doing the right thing that is expected in the industry.
Hi Thomas,
You are right on about attendance. I am always amazed that something so basic is often overlooked by students. No attendance equals poor grades which leads to a poor reference and no job. No attendance at work leads to firing. What part of this simple formula don't they get? Answer, in many cases a lot because it continues to be a constant struggle to get them there.
Gary
Attnedance can make or break you as a student or a professional. Students need to know that when they enter the work force they need to be on time, if not they can lose they're job. Some employers will look at your attendance befor they look at your grades. Being on time is the first building block on which to build a professional reputation.
Asghar,
I completely agree with you. It is important to set the tone the first day of class. Since the class I teach is only eight weeks long, once a week it is very important that they show up to class on-time each week. As you stated showing up to class late disrupts the class and you end up spending time getting the student caught up.
Hi Luis,
You set the tone for the class and it is up to you to manage the class. So you can establish the rules for attendance, etc. Be consistent and let the students know this is how you operate as an instructor. Don't let the students tell you how the other instructors do it. You decide how you are going to manage your course then do. You will find that the students will respect you for your standards.
Gary
As a new instructor i try my best to be on time for the students to see that and to set an example for them but i have some students that think they can come and go as they please because their previous intructors havent enforce the attendance but i dont want to seem to hard with them if i dont allow them in the class but i also want to set the rules for my class. any advises in how should i do that?
I cannot emphasize enough to my students how important attendance is. To start with, it creates a good habbit for future employment; scondly, it allows them more opportunities to capture the material. If they are in class their concerns can be addressed. They can also benefit from the concerns of their peers.
Hi Mark,
The students need to know that they have to develop skills that will enable them to be successful in the workplace whether working for themselves or others. For some they never thought about responsibility before enrolling in the class. They thought they would deal strictly with a career area and not the "soft skills" of the work place.
What do you do to help your students to acquire these needs skills?
Gary
It is difficult to reach some people but you've got to continue to try. I try to make a point of a student's late arrival every time and let them know that in the real world, tardiness is an easy way to destroy one's credibility. Being on time is so important because it sets the tone from the first moment whether you are professional or not.
Hi Teresa,
Chronic tardiness is the students way of showing everyone that they do not respect the instructor, the other students or the college. You may want to talk with your administration about how to deal with these students. In my school I have the right to dismiss a student after I have warned them and worked them through probation for tardiness. If they persist in being tardy then I with the support of my school can remove them from the course. It sounds harsh but it does wake up a number of students and for others nothing is going to make a difference. But I cannot pass students that are absent or tardy because they reflect on my career area and I have to train them to be professionals. To place them and then have employers come back to me unhappy ruins my reputation and thus they won't want to hire any of my graduates in the future.
Gary
Attendance is a very important part in a students education especially in an accelerated pace course. I still have some students that miss class or come in late no matter how many times you warn them about the cirriculum they are missing they still don't care.
Hi Asghar,
The instructor sets the tone for the class and if you do not ask that your students be on time or present they will not be so. Make clear your attendance policies and then be consistent in enforcing them and your class will run much smoother.
Gary
